Labeling machine



April 1937- c. H. OSLUND 2,078,870

LABELING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l Z0 MW Char-Zea EOJZZTH April 27, 1937. c. H. OSLUND LABELING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 27, 1937- c. H. OSLUND 2,078,870

LABELING MACHINE 7 Filed Feb. 5, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jae W Z0 Char-(es .71. O-SJZIE April 27, 11937. c. H. QSLUND LABELING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1936 5 SheetsSheet 5 52 .52 CfiarieaIOa'ZurZ? Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE 15 Claims.

This invention relates to labeling machines, and more particularly to machines of the type having pickers which transfer the labels from a label magazine to the articles to be labeled.

In labeling machines of this type it is customary to apply adhesive to the'pickers by means of a suitable roll, this roll being passed over the surface of the pickers before they engage the labels. Unless the roll contacts with the in pickers evenly and uniformly, it is impossible to provide the desired smooth coating of ad- -hesive. In actual practice it is very difficult to obtain exact alignment between the pickers and the roll,and it often happens that wear on the 15 various bearings and guides will accentuate the I difficulty.

It is accordingly one object of the invention to provide-a labeling machine which will apply a smooth and even coating of adhesive to the labels in spite of misalignment between the pickers and the roll.

In one form of labeling machine which is often used for labeling glass bottles, the bottle is placed upon a stationary support where it remains dur- 25 ing the labeling operation. After the label has been transferred to the bottle, the label is wiped firmly against the bottle by means of suitable wiper blades which are controlled by cam devices.

With bottles of different shapes and sizes it is 30 necessary to impart different movements to the wiper blades. In prior machines of this type such changes in movement require extensive and inconvenient alterations and adjustments in the various parts.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide a labeling machine which can be easily and conveniently adapted to articles of various shapes and sizes.

The ordinary picker mechanism applies adhe- 4 sive to the end portions only of the labels, and this is usually sufficient with bottles of circular cross-section. With flat bottles however it is desirable to apply adhesive to the centralportions of the labels also. While various mechanisms have been proposed for this purpose, they have in general proven to be complicated, ex-

pensive, and subject to many difficulties in operation.

.It is accordingly a further object of the invent on to provide a simple, inexpensive and reliable mechanism for applying adhesive to the central portions of the labels.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the in vention resides in the combination of parts set Fig. 5 is a'section on theline 5-5 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 6 is a section onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is' a section on the line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the machine, viewed from the left hand side, certain parts omitted for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front elevation with certain parts omitted to show the center-gumming mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a detail showing the center-gumming operation;

Fig. 12 is a detail showing the path of move ment of the center-gummer;

Fig. 13 is an elevation'of certain of the operating levers and their cams viewed from the right hand side;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged front view showing the operation of the .gum roll;

Fig. 15 is a detail showing the automatic correction of misalignment between the gum roll and pickers; and

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary front view showing a modified wiping operation for use with flat bottles.

In the drawings I have shown a. machine suitable for labeling glass bottles, the bottles being placed in the machine and removed therefrom by hand. The embodiment illustrated comprises a base 20 on the front portion of which there is mounted a frame or bracket 2|. This bracket carries at its upper end a V-shaped bottle rest 22 in which the bottle 23 may be supported in a substantially horizontal position during the labeling operation. It will be noted that the neck of the bottle is pointed toward the front where it can be easily grasped by the operator.

On the rear portion of the base 20 there is mounted a vertical column 25 which carries at its upper end a horizontal platform 26. A suitable label magazine 21 is mounted on this platform, the magazine serving to support a stack of labels 28 above and spaced from the bottle 23. Labels are transferred from the magazine to the bottles by means of a pair of spaced horizontal picker blades 38' which are reciprocated vertically. The magazine 21 is preferably provided with the usual toggle links 3| and operating handle 32 whereby the magazine may be raised slightly when it is desired to prevent contact of the pickers with the labels.

The picker blades 38 are fastened at their rear ends to a slide 33 which is slidably supported by means of spaced vertical guides 35. These guides are supported at their lower ends by the base 28. and their upper ends are secured to a bracket 36 which projects forwardly from the column 25. The slide 33 is reciprocated vertically by a suitable cam mechanism. In the preferred construction illustrated, a double-forked arm 31 is pivoted at its rear end to the column 25, the front portion of the arm being connected. to the slide 33 by means of a pair of links 38, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 5. A vertical guide 48 extends between the bracket 36 and a lower bracket 4| carried by the base 28, and this guide 48 supports a vertically reciprocable slide 42 which is connected to the arm 31 by means of a link 43. The slide 42 is provided with a cam roller 45 which engages the periphery of a cam 46. A tension spring 41 (Figs. 1 and 13) connects the arm 31 with the column 25 and holds the roller 45 in contact with the cam 46. This cam is mounted on a longitudinal shaft 48 which is rotatably supported by the bracket 4| and by a bracket 58 mounted on the base 28 in front of the cam.

The shaft 48 is rotated by any suitable means, and for this purpose there is provided a transverse shaft 'I which is connected to the shaft 48 by a pair of miter gears 52. The transverse shaft is rotatably supported in bearings 53 carried by the base 28, and on one end of the shaft there is mounted a large pulley 55. An electric motor 56 is mounted on the upper platform 26, and this motor drives a small pulley 51 through suitable speed-reducing gears 58. The pulley 51 is connected to the pulley 55 by means of a belt 59.

In order to hold the label on the bottle while the pickers 38 are being withdrawn upwardly there is provided a label gripper 6| having a facing 62 of sponge rubber or other suitable material. The label gripper is pivoted at its rear end to the front portion of the bracket 36 by means of a transverse pin 63, and means is provided to oscillate the label gripper about its pivot in synchronism with the movements of the pickers. For this purpose the label gripper is formed with a rearwardly projecting arm 64 which is connected by means of a link 65 with the front end of an arm 66. The rear end of this arm 66 is pivotally secured to the column 25, and a cam roller 81 is mounted on the arm and engages the periphery of a cam 68 on the transverse shaft 5|. A-tension spring 18 maintains the necessary contact between the roller and the cam. The link 65 is preferably made telescopic, and is urged to its extended position by a surrounding coiled compression spring 1|. With this construction the label gripper will apply a yielding pressure to the label and the bottle.

Means is provided to apply adhesive to the upper surfaces of the pickers 38 before they engage each label. For this purpose the usual gum box 12 is mounted on a platform 13 above the bracket 38. This gum box is provided with the usual cylinder which is partially immersed in the adhesive and constantly rotated by means of gears 18 and a sprocket wheel 11, the latter being connected by a chain 18 to a sprocket wheel 19 on the shaft 5|, as shown particularly in Fig. 9. Adhesive is transferred from the cylinder 15 to the pickers by means of a gum roll 3| which is supported by a carrier having a pair of spaced arms 32. These arms are connected at their lower ends by a transverse shaft 83 which is rotatably supported in the bracket 58, and one of the arms is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 34 which is connected by a link 85 to the front end of a lever 31, the rear end of this lever being pivotally supported on the column 25. The lever 31 is provided intermediate its length with a cam roller 88 which engages the periphery of a cam 89 mounted on the transverse shaft 5|. A tension spring 98 is connected to the arm 81 to hold the roller in contact with the cam, as best shown in Fig. 13. A gear 92 is mounted on the gum roll 8| and when the gum roll is in contact with the cylinder 15 this gear meshes with a gear 93 on the cylinder. This causes the gum roll to rotate and thus become coated with adhesive from the cylinder.

The gum roll is held in contact with the pickers and the cylinder with a yielding pressure, and the parts are preferably so constructed and arranged that either end of the gum roll can yield independently of the other to compensate for inaccurracies in alignment. For this purpose, a finger 95 is pivotally attached to the upper end of each arm 32 and projects forwardly therefrom. Each finger is provided with a laterally projecting lug 96 which supports an adjustable screw 91. A coiled tension spring 98 connects each finger with the corresponding arm, movement of the finger under the influence of the spring being limited by the screw 91. As shown particularly in Fig. 14. the shaft 99 of the gum roll 8| fits loosely in holes I88 formed in the fingers 85. with this construction, the shaft can move angularly with respect to the fingers, and each finger can pivot independently on its respective arm. Consequently the gum roll will contact firmly with the pickers 38, as shown in Fig. '15, despite slight misalignment.

After the label has been applied to the bottle by the pickers, the ends of the label have to be wiped or pressed against the bottle. For this pur pose there is provided a crosshead I82 which is slidably supported for vertical reciprocation in suitable spaced guides I83 on the frame 2|. In order to drive this crosshead, a crank I84 is mounted on the front end of the longitudinal shaft 48, and this crank is joined to the crosshead by an upwardly extending connecting rod I85. At the top of the crosshead and on opposite sides of the bottle rest 22 there are mounted two wiper arms I81, each arm having a wiper blade I 88 of rubber or other suitable material on its upper end.

In the operation of the wiping mechanism, the wiper blades are given a lateral motion in addition to their vertical motion. Furthermore, it is necessary to vary the lateral motion for different sizes and shapes of bottles. In the embodiment illustrated, the lower end of each wiper arm I01 is secured to the rear: end of a pin I89 which is rotatably supported in the crosshead I82. To the front end of each pin there is secured a laterally extending arm 8. The arms II8 are connected by means of links II2 to the ends of a transverse bar 3 mounted on the upper end of a vertical slide II4. This slide H4 is arranged for vertical reciprocation in the crosshead I02. In order to control the movements of the slide II4, a suitable cam mechanism is provided. In the preferred construction illustrated. a longitudinal shaft H5 is rotatably supported in the frame 2I at a lower elevation than the shaft 48 so as to avoid interference with the crank I04. A gear H6 is mounted on the shaft 40 directly in the rear of the crank I04, and this gear meshes with a gear II1 on the rear end of the shaft H5. These gears preferably have a one-to-one speed ratio. On the front end of the shaft I I5 there is mounted a cam II8 which engages a cam roller I I3 on the lower end of the slide II4. A spring I20 maintains the proper contact between the roller and the cam. The crank I04 imparts a vertical reciprocation to the crosshead I02, and the cam II9 imparts a vertical reciprocation to the slide II4, but there is a slight difference between these two movements. Consequently the slide has a slight reciprocation relative to the crosshead, and as a result of this relative motion, the links II2 serve to oscillate the arms H and I01. This oscillation in combination with the vertical movement causes the wiper blades I08 to be drawn outwardly and downwardly over the end portions of the label, as indicated particularly in Fig. 4, thus pressing the label firmly against the bottle. In order to allow a slight yielding of the wiper arms I01 they are preferably made in articulated form and normally held rigid by a tension spring I20. The cam mechanism at the front of the machine is preferably enclosed by a removable vertical plate I22 (Fi 1).

If the size or shape of the bottle is changed, it will usually be necessary to alter the motion of the slide H4 and occasionally the shape of the wiper arms I01. The slide motion can easily be changed by replacing the cam II8 with a slightly different cam. This is a very simple matter, since the parts are readily accessible at the front of the machine after the plate I22 is removed. InFig'. 16 there is shown the movement of the wiper blades in applying a label to a flat bottle, the various parts being identified by the reference numerals previously used, with the addition of the suffix a.

. The picker blades 30 apply adhesive only to the end portions of each label, but in some cases it is desirable to apply adhesive also to the central portion of the label. This may be accomplished by the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive. In this mechanism there is shown a center-glimmer in the form of a fiat blade I24 which is coated with adhesive and pressed against the lower label in the magazine 21 at substantially the same time as the picker blades 30. The center-gummer is then moved downwardly ahead of the pickers and laterally to allow the pickers to descend without interference. For this'purpose the blade I24 is mounted on the upper end of a substantially vertical arm I25 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to a bracket I26 mounted on a vertical bar I21. This bar is slidably supported for vertical reciprocation at one side of the bottle rest in upper and lower guides I20 and I29 mounted respectively on the bracket 36 and the frame 2I. In order to reciprocate the bar there is provided an arm I3I which is pivotally supported at its rear end by the column 25, the front end of this arm being connected to the lower end of the bar I21 by means of a link I32. A cam roller I33 is mounted on the arm I3I to engage the periphery of a cam I34 secured to the transverse shaft i. A tension spring I35 maintains the' roller in proper contact with its cam.

In addition to the vertical movement imparted to the blade I24 by the bar I21, this blade is given a lateral movement also. For this purpose a cam roller I31 is mounted on-the arm I25, and this roller is arranged to engage a stationary cam I38 supported by the upper guide I23. A tension spring I39 holds the roller against the cam. These parts are so arranged that as the bar I21 is moved upwardly, the cam I38 will swing the arm I 25 to the right in Fig. and bring the blade to a position directly over the bottle and between the pickers 30.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from the above disclosure. As soon as the label has been wiped against the bottle by the wiper blades I00, the label gripper GI will swing upwardly, releasing the bottle. ator will thereupon remove the labeled bottle and immediately place an unlabeled bottle in the rest 22. While the wiping action is taking place. the picker blades 30 are moving upwardly. The

center-gummer I24 is moved upwardly by the action of the cam I34 and laterally by the action of the cam I38, passing beneath the adjacent picker blade and into the space between the picker blades, its upward velocity being momentarily higher than that of the picker blades until it reaches the same elevation. During the continued upward motion of these parts,. the gum roll 8| passes rearwardly over their upper surfaces and coats them with adhesive, the springs 98 yielding independently to ensure a firm and accurate contact. The gum roll continues its rearward movement until it engages The oper the rotating cylinder 15 and receives a new coating of adhesive, the roll being rotated by, the action of the gears 92 and 93. The continued upward movement of the pickers and the centergummer brings these parts into contact with the bottom label 28. The center-gummer starts to move downwardly slightly ahead of the pickers. having left a coating of adhesive on the central portion of the label. As the pickers descend, the lower label adheres to their upper surfaces, and the center-gummer swings to the left and out of the path of the pickers. As the pickers and the label approach the bottle, the label gripper GI will swing downwardly and forwardly, clamping I the central portion of the label firmly against the bottle. The pickers will then move upwardly. leaving the label, and the wiper blades I00 will swing inwardly and downwardly, wiping the ends of the label against the bottle. Near the bottom of their movement the wiper blades swing outwardly, and they remain in this outward position while they are traveling upward again. This lateral movement of the wiper blades can be controlled as desired by varying the shape of the cam H9. Upon completion of the wiping action, the label gripper will swing upwardly, the operator will remove the labeled bottle. and the cycle will be repeated.

It will be noted that the independently yieldabie springs 98 will maintain a firm and accurate contact of the gum roll with the pickers irrespective of slight misalignment. The cam IIB can be easily and conveniently replaced by a different cam to adopt the machine to bottles of various shapes and sizes. The center-gumming mechanism is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and thoroughly reliable in operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A labeling machine comprising a label magazine, pickers to receive labels from the magazine, a roll to apply adhesive to the pickers, and independently yieldable supports for the opposite ends of the roll to ensure proper alignment of the roll with the pickers.

gum box, a cylinder rotatable in the gum box, a

roll to transfer adhesive from the cylinder to the pickers, and independently yieldable supports for the opposite ends of the roll to ensure proper alignment of the roll with the pickers.

4. A labeling machine comprising a label magazine, pickers to receive. labels from the magazine, a carrier, a pair of spaced fingers independently pivoted to the carrier, springs yieldably holding the fingers in predetermined positions with respect to the carrier, and a roll loosely supported at its ends in the fingers and arranged to apply adhesive to the pickers, the springs yielding independently to ensure proper alignment of the roll with the pickers.

5. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, two vertically reciprocable members located beneath the rest, a pair of labelwiping devices mounted on one of said members and located at opposite sides of said rest, connections between the other of said members and the devices arranged to move the devices laterally, a longitudinal rotatable shaft beneath the members, a cam removably mounted on the front end of the shaft and arranged to reciprocate one of the members, and means to reciprocate the other of said members.

6. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, two vertically reciprocable members located beneath the rest, means including a crank and connecting rod to reciprocate one of the members, a longitudinal rotatable shaft beneath the members, a cam removably mounted on the front end of the shaft and arranged to reciprocate the other of said members, a pair of label-wiping devices mounted on the crank-actuated member and located at opposite sides of said rest, and connections between the cam-actuated member and the devices arranged to move the devices laterally.-

7. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, two vertically reciprocable members located beneath the rest, a longitudinal rotatable shaft, a crank on the shaft, a connecting rod extending upwardly from the crank to one of the members to reciprocate the same, a gear on the shaft, a second longi udinal rotatable shaft at a lower elevation than th {first shaft, a gear on the second shaft in mesh {with the first gear, a cam on the front end of the second shaft and arranged to reciprocate the other member relative to the crank-actuated member, a pair of label-wiping devices mounted on one of said members for vertical reciprocation therewith and located on opposite sides of said rest, and connections between the other of said members and the devices arranged to move the devices laterally.

8. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, two vertically reciprocable members located beneath the rest, a longitudinal rotatable shaft, a crank on the shaft, a connecting rod extending upwardly from the crank to one of the members to reciprocate the same, a gear on the shaft, 2. second longitudinal rotatable shaft at a lower elevation than the first shaft, a gear on the second shaft in mesh with the first gear, a cam on the front end of the second shaft and arranged to reciprocate the other member relative to the crank-actuated member, a pair of label-wiping devices pivotally supported by the crank-actuated member and located at opposite sides of said rest, and connections between the cam-actuated member and the devices arranged to oscillate the devices laterally about their pivots.

9. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, a crosshead located beneath the rest, a longitudinal rotatable shaft, a crank on the front end of the shaft, a connecting rod extending upwardly from the crank to the crosshead to reciprocate the crosshead vertically, a gear on the shaft in the rear of the crank, a second longitudinal rotatable shaft at a lower elevation than the first shaft, a gear on the second shaft in mesh with the first gear, a slide supported for vertical reciprocation in the crosshead, a cam on the front end of the second shaft and arranged to reciprocate the slide relative to the crosshead, a pair oi. label-wiping devices pivotally supported by the crosshead and located at opposite sides of said rest, and connections between the slide and the devices arranged to oscillate the devices laterally about their pivots.

10. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, a label magazine above and spaced from the rest, a pair of spaced pick ers located above the rest and below the magazine, means to move the pickers up and down between the rest and the magazine, a center gummer, means to move the gummer into the space between the pickers as they move upwardly, means to apply adhesive to the pickers and the gummer, means to move the gummer upwardly with the pickers to contact with a label in the magazine, and means to move the gummer downwardly and then laterally to one side of the pickers so that the pickers may move downwardly without interference into a position close to an article on the rest.

11. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, a label magazine above and spaced from the rest, a pair of spaced pickers located above the rest and below the magazine, means to move the pickers up and down between the rest and the magazine, a center gummer, means to move the gummer into the space between the pickers as they move upwardly, means to apply adhesive to the pickers and the gummer, means to move the gummer upwardly with the pickers to contact with a label in the magazine, means tomove the gummer downwardly, the gummer starting to move downwardly slightly in advance of the pickers, and means to move the gummer laterally as it moves downwardly.

12. A labeling machine comprising a rest for one side of the rest, means to reciprocate the member vertically, a center-gummer supported by the member, a stationary cam arranged to move the gummer laterally as it is moved vertically, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the gummer will enter thespace between the pickers from beneath the pickers, and means to apply adhesive to the pickers and gummer.

13. A labeling machine comprising a restfor the articles to be labeled, a label magazine above and spaced from the rest, a pair of spaced substantially horizontal pickers located above the rest and below the magazine, means to reciprocate the pickers vertically, a member located at one side of the rest, means to reciprocate the member vertically, a center-gummer supported by the member, a stationary cam arranged to move the gummer inwardly above the rest as it moves upwardly, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the gummer will enter the space between the pickers from beneath the pickers, and means to apply adhesive to the pickers and gummer.

14. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, a label magazine above and spaced from the rest, a pair of spaced substantially horizontal pickers located above the rest and below the magazine, means to reciprocate the pickers vertically, a member located at one side of the rest, means to reciprocate the member vertically, a center-gummer pivotally supported by the member, a stationary cam arranged to swing the gummer inwardly about its pivot and above the rest as it moves upwardly and thus into the space between the pickers from beneath the pickers, and means to apply adhesive to the pickers and gummer.

15. A labeling machine comprising a rest for the articles to be labeled, a label magazine above and spaced from the rest, a pair of spaced substantially horizontal pickers located above the rest and below the magazine, means to reciprocate the pickers vertically, a member located at one side of the rest, means to reciprocate the member vertically, a substantially vertical bar pivotally supported at its lower end on the member, a center-gummer mounted on the upper end 01. the bar, a stationary cam arranged to swing the bar inwardly about its pivot as the member moves upwardly and thus bring the gummer above the rest and into the space between the pickers from beneath the pickers, and means to apply adhesive to the pickers and gummer.

CHARLES H. 'OSLUND 

